National Republican., 1887-08-11
UNPUBLISHED HISTORY.
Interesting Facts In Connection wit

Interesting Facts in Connection with
tho Tweed "Ring" aud Washington.
The following matter, Of general interest,
was part Of the speech of Mr.. j. II. Crane
at the meeting OF the Water Takers Pro-
tectlve Association on Tuesday evening:
There is little piece Of unpublished his
tory that you will pardon me for introduc'
ing here. When l entered the water Office
| found its books in y wretched condition,
being full OF erasures and pencil marks. As
soon as had mastered the details Of the
Office got leave OF absence and visited the
water departments OF most OF the large
eastern cities, making thorough investlga-
tion Of the mode OF doing business In each.
procured copies Of their forms for keeping
water rents, which brought home with me.
The trip cost me 800, which paid out OF
my own pocket. With the assistance
OF VIM. Morgan, ir., | got up the form OF
books still In use in the water department.
The names OF all the water takers we're
copied into them in time for the collection
Of the water rents in January. The labor,
which was done after Office hours, cost me
many hours OF toll, extending into the
small hours OF the night, aud the whole of
many Sundays. When this work was com.
pleted we took up the matter Of water
taxes, which my predecessor had neglected
| to attend to, and got them all of, as the
| law required, In time for the tax collector
to publish in his annual advertisement
Of tax sales. For all Of this extra work and
| my expenses to Boston aud other cities /
| put bill before the city council to the
amount OF 5000. also drew up and caused
| to be introduced a bill appropriating $3.50
| each for my clerks for the extra work they
| did. In the meantime William NJ. Tweed
and bis associates had procured the passage
| OF bill by the legislature OF New York ap-
propriatiDg S2,000,000 for the purpose Of
buying and putting on water meters In New
| York city, at the expense of water takers.
They bought worthless meter, for which
they were going to charge water takers 500
each. 1t cost about $40 to make this worth
less meter.
The Tweed ring were afraid to put 1t on
until after 1t had been adopted by some
other large city. After holding q consul
tation they hit upon this city as the easiest
one to capture. An agent was accordingly
sent here with instructions to procure the
adoption Of this worthless meter as the
standard meter for our city at anything
under 500, 900, as he afterwards told me.
The result was that a bill making this
meter the standard one for our city was
put through the city councils against my
protest. The mayor, at the unanimous
request OF the water board, vetoed the bill.
While 1t was pending before the councils
word was sent to me by member
of the lower board, who afterward was ap-
| pointed by my successor as clerk In the
water Office, that II would withdraw my
opposition to this worthless meter aud al
low 1t to become the standard meter for
our city, he would put through my just
bill Of $500, otherwise he would defeat it.
! declined the proposition and lost my
$500, but / prevented the people OF New
York city from being swindled out Of $2,-
100000 and our city from the disgrace Of
being made the cats paw of the Tweed
ring. Ten thousand of those worthless
meters had at that time been manufactured.
They were delivered at the Croton pipe
yard, but not one OF them, 80 far as know,
was ever used. The last l heard Of them
they lay. resting in big piles in the Croton
pipe yard.
Suit was instituted against New York
city to recover pay for those meters. The
present Secretary Of the Navy was corpora
ton attorney for that city at the time.
made two journeys there US witness fol
the city at Mr.. Whitney's request, declining
to accept compensation except for my per
sonal expenses on and back. No mar
knows better than the Secretary of tht
Navy the service rendered New York city
and the sacrifice made in defeating one O
the most Infamous jobs ever put up agains
any people. Now tnat the whole affair IL
over l take the liberty Of saying that 1t Il
not creditable to New York city, or to this
city, that no measures have been taken Il
make good the loss / sustained In conse
quence Of standing by the right.